VIENTIANE 2008:
Cambodia
Solidarity Economy: Working Together
To Help The Vulnerable And THE Disadvantaged
mEN sinoeun
Executive Director, Artisans’ Association of Cambodia
‘The solidarity economy is often considered part of the social economy, forming what might be termed the "social and solidarity economy" (from the French "économie sociale et solidaire").’
This is how AAC perceives solidarity economy: ‘An organization seeing itself as part of the solidarity economy generally goes beyond achieving purely social aims: it aims to put right an injustice by expressing solidarity.’ AAC focuses on people working together in a way that will directly help those who are more vulnerable and disadvantaged.
In the Cambodian context, solidarity economy is practiced by a number of organizations: ‘Fair trade organizations that aim to express practical solidarity with farmers in the developing world by paying them fair prices for their produce’ have a strong future in Cambodia. ‘Self-help organizations can also work in Cambodia, in different forms. Depending on the country, ‘Trade unions may or may not work for the majority of workers. It therefore depends on each country’s circumstances. ‘Co-operatives and especially worker cooperatives model failed in the era of 1974-75 in Cambodia. However, in many contexts producer groups (as workers’ groups) and other types of cooperatives may work – but not if the idea is interpreted in a way that becomes anti-solidarity.
Solidarity principles are worth promoting in relation to: 1) production, in forming a group which provides employment opportunities, capacity building, health and safety, good treatment, fair wages, transparency and ensuring no discrimination among genders, as well as a friendly and democratic environment. The producers should feel that they are ‘in this together’, and the group should be working for the benefit of the disadvantaged. In the case of AAC, this includes landmine victims, the disabled, and the rural and urban poor, with a majority of them being poor women working to help support their families. 2). marketing, in a way that promotes the development of the socio-economic integration of the most vulnerable groups; this type will promote cohesiveness, confidentiality, trustworthiness and profit that is well-distributed to all levels of people involved in the community because it is not about an individual pursuing profit for himself or herself when they are supposed to help strengthen the economy in a community or area of a country.
The Artisans’ Association of Cambodia (AAC) promotes these principles and values particularly in relation to production, marketing and other economic practices. Co-operatives, micro-finance organizations, village banks, and fair trade groups are forms of solidarity economy in Cambodia which involve homebased and other informal workers. AAC is particularly skilled in promoting fair trade for member organizations including disadvantaged groups
AAC is a membership-based organization, established in 2001, and now has 41 member organizations. The majority of the worker-producers whose products are marketed through the AAC’s fair trade activities are women, and the great majority are the rural and urban poor (71 percent are women and 15. percent are people with disabilities; 57 percent of the AAC’s member organizations are managed by women).
As a fair trade association, AAC provides commercial and capacity building services to Social Enterprises that work closely with disadvantaged people. As a network of many different types of organizations (NGOs, etc.), the AAC tries to ensure that the decisions made be member organizations are taken by the membership base – meaning, the worker-producers themselves. This is one of the goals of helping all member organizations move toward the model of true ‘Social Enterprises’.
Part of AAC’s efforts will involve working closely with partners on an advocacy agenda for the rights and empowerment of homebased and other informal workers, particularly women.
AAC’s capacity building servicesfor their member organizations include: Product Development/ Techniques; Organizational Development; Design; Quality Improvement; Organizational Reform; Loan Information; Shop Management; Conflict Intervention; Exposure Tours; Providing Donor Information/Fund Raising, and other services. With these types of assistance, AAC’s member organizations are able to help provide livelihood and other welfare-related services for their members (especially informal women and men workers).
AAC weaves in the practice of solidarity economy with previous (and future) SRW themes: a) membership-based organizing and fair trade (both natural subjects for the AAC with their focus on fair trade and social enterprises; b)social protection with focus on occupational safety and health (also a basic component of fair trade); c)gender and participatory governance (this is also developing in Cambodia over time); andd)food security, climate change, and environmental concerns (also tied to AAC’s work, through their impact on our members’ products, livelihoods, and overall welfare).
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